“When you pray, rather let your heart be without words than your words without heart.”
~~~ John Bunyan
December 04, 2009
Without Words
November 21, 2009
Darcy Cheyenne Klause ~ ~ His Reward
Darcy Cheyenne Klause
Born on Tuesday, November 17th at 11:39 p.m. (on her due date)
7 pounds 5 ounces; 20.5 inches long
~~~
Big sisters seeing her for the first time.
~~~
Big Sister Addison holding Darcy Cheyenne. She just giggled when she saw her. Kennedy did the very same thing the first time that she saw Baby Addison.
~~~
Kennedy holding Darcy Cheyenne for the first time. Kennedy has so looked forward to Darcy's arrival.
~~~
Bailey holding her for the first time. There is a good possibility that Bailey will not put her down for months. :0)
~~~
My parents cooing over their newest blessing.
~~~
She has been very alert and content when she is awake.
Her hair is very dark brown like my mother's hair; so dark brown that you have to look close to decide that it is brown and not black.
~~~
Daddy is getting me ready to go home!
~~~~
Darcy Cheyenne's sisters were so very happy to have her home.
~~~
Little Darcy was known of before the world was created...and knit together by the very hand of God. What an amazing miracle.
I am so thankful for this wee child.
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. ~~James 1:17
Mommy & Darcy Cheyenne
Psalm 127
Except
the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the
LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
November 21, 2009
Music: Pretty Little Baby/Big Snow in Salzburg
November 19, 2009
The Tapestry
Recently while visiting with three of my sisters (in Christ), we were discussing our paths in this life...the things in which the Lord allows and how each of those things draw us nearer to Christ. I mentioned that so often what is happening does not make sense to us...whether it be in the timing or the events or the place or sometimes just the entire situation makes no sense to us. We were encouraging one another in our faith in the Lord and how not understanding does not negate obedience to our Heavenly Father. I mentioned that it must be the love and mercy of the Lord that does not allow us to see it all at once. I suspect that we simply could not bear the load.
The full truth...
The full degree of His glory in the situation...
The full burden of our own sin...
The complete forgiveness that envelopes us...
The total sacrifice that was made for our sins...
The amazing mercy that is being showered upon us...
I see our lives much like a tapestry. We see our lives from the back side of that tapestry. There are colors here and there and stray threads and stops and starts that make no sense. The back of the tapestry is almost like a blurred image. As soon as we get comfortable with being pulled this way, suddenly our thread is cut in half or twisted tightly into a knot. Sometimes the thread gets pulled so firmly that it breaks into two pieces.
I believe that the reality and the truth is that we have no ability to totally conceive how amazing and wonderful our lives will appear when one day we stand in Glory and the Lord turns the tapestry of our lives around and we see the front side. Perhaps it will all make sense...the timing, the things denied, the things that never made any sense, the hurt, the disappointment...
Or perhaps we will never see the front... Perhaps we will fall on our faces before our Creator and the things of this life will never cross our minds again.
The tapestry seems to help me see that I do not need to understand. I do not need to see the front. I need to ensure that I am daily lying the thread of my life out before the Lord. I just need to trust the hand that weaves me through the eye of the needle and have faith in the direction in which the thread of my life is being pulled. Know that the twisting, breaking, cutting and pulling is simply what is best and what brings God glory.
"But you will imagine that it is best that He should at once enable you to see clearly. If it is, you may be sure He will do it. He never makes mistakes. But He often deals far differenly with His disciples. He lets them grope their way in the dark until they fully learn how blind they are, how helpless, how absolutely in need of Him. What His methods will be with you I cannot fortell. But you may be suret hat He never works in an arbitrary way. He has a reason for everything He does. You may notunderstand why He leads you now in this way and now in that, but you may, nay, you must believe that perfection is stamped on His every act." ~~Elizabeth Prentiss from Stepping Heavenward~~
Proverbs 3
1My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
2For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.
3Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
4So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
5Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
7Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
8It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
9Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
10So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.
11My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction:
12For whom the LORD loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
13Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding.
14For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
15She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared unto her.
16Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand riches and honour.
17Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.
18She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.
19The LORD by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens.
20By his knowledge the depths are broken up, and the clouds drop down the dew.
21My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion:
22So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck.
23Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.
24When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.
25Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh.
26For the LORD shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.
27Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.
28Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and to morrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.
29Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.
30Strive not with a man without cause, if he have done thee no harm.
31Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways.
32For the froward is abomination to the LORD: but his secret is with the righteous.
33The curse of the LORD is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation of the just.
34Surely he scorneth the scorners: but he giveth grace unto the lowly.
35The wise shall inherit glory: but shame shall be the promotion of fools.
~~~~~~~]
posted by Mrs. Klause
November 19, 2009
November 13, 2009
November 10, 2009
Teacup Tuesdays - Tea Time Ideas
It has been some time since I posted regular Teacup Tuesdays. :) Perhaps I can return to that soon.We still have tea regularly at our house. Typically in the mornings.It has been several weeks since a tea party has been spread about our dining room table though. :0) The girlies really like to set up a nice tea party as a surprise for Mother.
I thought I would brainstorm a few very simple tea time ideas since the days will be soon be so busy with a new little one.
~~ Midnight tea. Perhaps that would make for a lovely memory with this wee little girl for a few weeks until she is sleeping mostly through the night (optimism..you know it).
~~ I often enclose a teabag when sending a thank you note or a card to friend. I will have a few 'thank yous' to send.
~~ When we are with Mother, we like to hit the local thrift stores to see if we can find a treasure or two. Lovely old linens or little bud vases are easily found in thrift stores for just pennies. Perhaps Mother and the girls can find us a new pretty while she is here after Baby Sister is born.
~~ The holiday season is nearing which means that peppermint sticks will be in abundance. Time to pick up a bag next time someone is at the grocery store! The children just love to stir their tea with a peppermint stick.
~~ Perhaps we can build a few tea parties over the next many weeks around our favorite little picture story books? I'm thinking teatime in the afternoon will correspond nicely with an afternoon nursing. ;0)
~ The Tale of Peter Rabbit - Kennedy's stuffed rabbit can join us and we can read the book while we sip our tea.
~ The Tale of Mrs. Tiggy Winkle - I think little girls might like to roll some napkins and pin them with some of my wooden clothespins. Bailey or Mother can read the book.
~ Baking Day - The girlies can gather a few cookie cutters, the small rolling pin, the biscuit cutter and the whisk to put into a basket for a centerpiece and we will have Daddy or Amma (my mother) pick us up some cookies or a pie at the store.
Hmm... That will take care of a few tea parties after Baby Sister is born! Sounds enjoyable for all. :0)
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
November 10, 2009
November 09, 2009
A Mother's Prayer
A Mother's Prayer
The sweetest sound heard through our earthly home,
The brightest ray that gleams from heaven's dome,
The loveliest flower that e'er from earth's breast rose,
That purest flame that, quivering, gleams and glows,
Are found along, where kneels a mother mild,
With heart uplifted, praying for her child.
~
The stream of tears can never cease to flow
Long as life's sun shall shine on us below;
And many angels have been sent by God
To count the tear drops wept upon life's road;
But of all the tears that glow, the least defiled
Are when a mother prays beside her child.
~
Because it is to mortal eyes unseen,
Ye call it foolishness, a childish dream,
In vain, ye cannot rob me of that thought,
That legend with such heavenly sweetness fraught,
That blessed angels have for ages smiled
To see a mother praying for her child.
Anonymous
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
November 9, 2009
October 15, 2009
"God's Word says..."
Addison is 3, Kennedy is 4. They are 16 months apart.
They love one another dearly and are the best of friends. They play so well together. They truly enjoy one another's company.
However, when they do squabble....whew....DO THEY SQUABBLE!
:0)
Yesterday morning the girls are getting ready for the day and I am putting books on the shelf in the library (all on the second floor and all rooms are open to one another). I hear Addison tell Kennedy, "Kn-dy, God's Wo-rwd says you awe not to be wude to you-rw sist-rw!"
Translation: Kennedy, God's Word says you are not to be rude to your sister!
:0)
I turn, trying not to laugh, to see the two facing one another at the top of the stairwell looking seriously at one another.
~~~
Over the last year, I have learned that God's perfect Word, the two-edged sword, will truly pierce right into the hearts of the children. God's Word changes us. Why would it be any different for our children? Why do we feel some overwhelming need to water down scripture for our children? It makes sense that we speak His Word directly to our children.
Taking the wisdom of someone quite dear to me, I made myself some note cards so that I would always have God's Word in-hand, I set forth about this time last year to correct and teach the children in the moment(as the anger, laziness, lying, impatience {name the sin} was actually occurring) with the words of our Creator instead of my own words. I also set forth to encourage the children with the Word of God when I saw Christ-like behavior/words in them.
God's Word is amazing... The Sword Is Sufficient
~~~
So, yesterday, we sat down to talk about what God's Word says about being rude to your sisters.
:0)
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
October 15, 2009
Music: Word of God Speak
September 07, 2009
I will follow Thee...
"...Christianity is fundamentally an experience in losing the lives of our dreams in order to receive the lives Jesus died to give us. Those who would bear the name Christian credibly experience a tremendous amount of abandonment in life." **
56For the Son of man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. And they went to another village. 57And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. 58And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 59And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 60Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. 61And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. 62And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God. ~~Luke 9:56-62
"Jesus is our only hope. If Christians are truly willing to leave everything to follow Him, then they will, in fact, eventually leave everything." **
"The question is, 'Can we lean into the abandomnment? Can we accept it as the Savior's invitation to find our lives at long last?'" **
~~~
"We cannot change ourselves, and we cannot help but be changed when He reveals more of Himself to us. To follow Jesus is to enter the lifelong process of discovering more about God than we know, discovering that "my ways are not your ways," discovering that we have been worshipping not God but an expectation of God. Nothing makes it harder to see God than our own expectations of Him. They blind us to the new ways He is at work saving our lives. Conversion pulls us away from being religious, away from having all the answers. It turns us into pilgrims who journey though life..." **
~~~
"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy mind and with all thy soul. This is the first and great commandment." ~~Matthew 22:37-38
About two years ago I asked the Lord to teach me how to love Him with all my heart, all my mind and all my soul. I told the Lord that I didn't know how. I told the Lord that I loved my husband and my children more than I loved Him. And...truthfully, and sadly, there were probably many other things that I loved more than my Savior. I told the Lord that I wanted to obey this first and great commandment.
~~~
"Christianity isn't something we get good at. Jesus' teachings are not hard; they are impossible. Those who first heard Jesus' statement that the rich man is like a camel trying to pass through the eye of aneedle were shocked. They asked, "They who can be saved?" The Savior's response was that while it is impossible to be a Christian, all things are possible with God. It always, always gets back to receiving grace. But if we are used to earning our own way, nothing could be harder." **
"Faith means betting our lives on the grace of God." **
~~~
We must learn how to follow which means that we must give up the expectation of knowing where we are going.
One single day at a time...
It is the only way...
Going to receive our daily manna...His perfect word, just for this day...
~~~
** Quotes from M. Craig Barnes
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
September 7, 2009
July 17, 2009
His Reward
Once a woman came upon three mothers at work. "What are you doing?" she asked of them.
"I'm doing the weekly washing," answered the first.
"I'm doing a bit of household drudgery," replied the second.
The third woman replied, "I'm mothering three young children who someday will fill important and useful spheres in life, and wash-day is a part of my grand task in caring for these souls who shall live forever."
Only the third woman had caught the vision of the great work she was doing.
-Author Unknown
~~~
"A home without children is only a fragment of a home. Its life, however happy, is a song with the sweetest part left out. Where no children come the husband and wife miss much that is deepest and richest in life. Their wedded joy never realizes its fullest measure of tenderness. There are chords in their hearts that are never waked. There are whole fields in their natures that are never brought under culture. There are powers and capacities in their souls that are never developed. They lose many a deep lesson that can be read from no book save from the pages of unfolding child-life. They miss many an inspiration of purity, of gentleness, of unselfishness, of beauty, for God has so constituted us that only in loving and caring for children are the richest and best things in us drawn out. Then when old age comes on, how lonely is the childless home, with neither son nor daughter to come back with grateful ministries, to bring solace and comfort to the declining years!"
"Our homes would be very cold and dreary without the children. Sometimes we weary of their noise. They certainly bring us a great deal of care and solicitude. They cost us no end of toil. When they are very young they break our rest many a weary night with their colics and teethings, and when they grow older they wellnigh break our hearts many a time with their waywardness. After they come to us we may as well bid farewell to living for self and to personal ease and independence, if we mean to do faithful duty as parents. There are some who therefore look upon the coming of children as a misfortune. They talk about them lightly as "responsibilities." They regard them as in the way of their pleasure. They see no blessing in them. But it is cold selfishness that looks upon children in this way. Instead of being hindrances to true and noble living, they are helps. They bring benedictions from heaven when they come, and while they stay they are perpetual benedictions."
"It is a great thing to take these young and tender lives, rich with so many possibilities of beauty, of joy, of power, all of which may be wrecked, and to become responsible for their shaping and training and for the upbuilding fo their character. This is what must be thought of in the making of a home."
~ Excerpt from Home-making by J. R. Miller, originally published in 1882
~~~
Psalm 127
1Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.
2It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
3Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.
4As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.
5Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
July 17, 2009
Music: Fur Elise
July 09, 2009
Teacup Tuesdays - A Surprise Saturday Afternoon Tea
I know...it is not Tuesday but sometimes you just have to jump right in and get started with things...
Poor old Teacup Tuesday has fallen by the wayside in the last three months. Let's see if we can start again. :)
~~~~~~~~~
Several days ago Kennedy was privileged to spend a day with her Daddy. While they were gone, Addison and Bailey prepared a tea party for me...as a surprise.
It was planned last-minute so Bailey was creative and used what she had on-hand.
~~~~~~~~~~
Here are the little party planners.
The girls set our pretty glass plates and selected teacups from the cabinet. Addison and I had prepared oatmeal cookie dough that morning and it was in a bowl in the fridge awaiting further work. Bailey decided to bake some cookies (with permission). The pan that the cookies are on is still hot. I was just getting ready to put the cookies on a plate.
What you see here is a lovely bouquet of tissue paper flowers and skewered pickles.
:)
The plan was to make a nice arrangement of skewered fruit but none of the fruit that we had on hand was suitable for Bailey's cutting and skewering so she and Addison talked about it and Addison (age 2) suggested pickles instead.
In the teapot is grape kool-aid. We have kool-aid about once a year around here and we had prepared a pitcher the day before. Bailey thought and thought and could not remember the order of operation to prepare hot tea. She was trying to keep this a surprise so she decided that grape kool-aid would be a nice alternative.
~~
Bailey sweetly and lovingly scolded me for not doing a better job of teaching her how to make hot tea. :) She actually does know how but I suppose it has been too long since she did it all on her own. Addison is typically the one that selects and prepares tea with me. Bailey and Kennedy usually take care of setting the table, pouring the cream and such.
So...
It seems that a bit of Teatime Tutoring is called for...
It was a lovely and yummy surprise Saturday Tea Party. I am so thankful for oatmeal cookies, sweet pickles and grape kool-aid. What a sweet memory to tuck away.
In my rocking chair with a lovely teacup in my hand is where I can be found at least once every single day.
I suspect that one day...
...when I am old and grey...
...you will still find me rocking...
...teacup in hand...
...perhaps enjoying spearmint tea...
...or blueberry tea...
...steaming coffee...
...or even grape kool-aid...
:0)
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
July 9, 2009
July 04, 2009
Twigs & Feathers -- Part I
Nesting...
:) An interesting part of God's creation...
I think it is an amazing and curious part of how God created a woman. Every pregnant woman that I have ever known has gone through a period of time during her pregnancy in which she has an overwhelming need to get all things in her home in order.
I am so thankful for this "nesting".
~~~
My To-Do List - Cleaning & Organizing
1. Clean out my closet - Done! Whoo-hooo and it wasn't so bad.
2. Clean out the school closet - Done! And it took quite some time to sort through stray game & puzzle pieces and get all the crayons back to their containers and such.
3. Clean out coat closet - Done! My dear friend, Mrs. Spangler, came with her children on Tuesday and announced upon their arrival that at least one household project could be done while we visited. -- All done!
4. Clean out Bailey's closet
5. Re-organize sewing cabinet
6. Clean out the garage
7. Sort through, organize and store all children's clothing.
8. Clean out the junk drawer in the kitchen (and the junk cabinet - who put all that stuff in there?)
~~~~
My To-Do List - Acquiring Items for the Wee Littlest One
When we moved out-of-state, we got rid of all items that were not absolutely necessary which meant almost all baby items.
1. Cradle and/or Crib
2. Car seat
3. Wee tiny clothes for a wee tiny girl.
4. Sew burp rags, changing pads and bibs.
5. Locate (in the garage) the box of baby items we kept and clean them for use.
~~~~
Nesting...a time to give thanks to God for this new life...
Nesting...a time to pray for the life of this new little girl...
Nesting...a time to praise the Lord for the blessing of this child...
Nesting...a time to seek guidance from the Lord on how to raise up this child for His glory...
~~~
Time to go!
There are twigs to be gathered and soft feathers that need to be woven into the nest!
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
July 4, 2009
June 23, 2009
This is His day.
Addison wakes first typically; around 6:30 a.m.
My beloved husband was just about to leave the house so he was blessed with her smile and kisses to start his day and she with the loving embrace of her father.
Addison (age 2) and I sat at the table together. I had a cup of coffee and she enjoyed a cup of blueberry tea. She was noticing the sunrise and commenting on how far it reached (all the way from one neighbor's yard to the other neighbor's yard which was as far as she could see). I told her that God brought the sun to us in the east every morning. As we discussed directions and talked more of the sunrise, I began to recall a thought that has passed tthrough my mind more times than I can count over the last many years.
The miracle of the sunrise...
The sunrise is an amazing miracle when you stop to think about all that happens...
...yet it's daily occurrence seems to numb our senses to the beauty and the simply amazing creation...
When I stop and remind myself of this, I always think of Psalm 118:24:
"This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it."
This day, today, God created this day.
I shall rejoice and be glad in this day. I must set my mind to rejoicing in all things today.
What is His purpose and His plan in my life .. on this day that He has created?
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
June 23, 2009
Music: Make My Life A Prayer To You
June 15, 2009
..all things..
"By perseverance the snail reached the ark."
~~Charles Spurgeon
"But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." ~~Matthew 19:26
~~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
June 15, 2009
May 27, 2009
How shall I hide?
"A prudent man forseeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the simple pass on, and are punished." ~~Proverbs 27:12
This verse stayed with me this morning.
I began to think about it and dissect it and hold it up to my moment-by-moment decisions.
I went to look up the original Hebrew words that Proverbs was written in to ensure that I was reading what was actually written. (The Interlinear Bible is where you locate the bible in the original Hebrew and Greek just in case you are not familiar.)
~~~
A prudent or sensible person will discern, will inspect, will give attention to, will distinguish...
...the evil, distress, misery, adversity, calamity...
--- This next phrase is what caught my heart this morning. ---
"..AND HIDETH HIMSELF.."
To hide means to conceal.
..but the simple or the foolish...
..pass on or traverse or advance..
..and are punished or condemned..
Once we accept Christ as our Savior, we are forgiven; however, we live with the consequences of our sin.
So...according to God...in Proverbs 27:12, I can be wise and discerning and see the sin coming and hide myself from it or I can just go on and walk right in and suffer the condemnation and consequences.
Hmmm...makes me want to truly ponder each moment even further so that I can foresee the evil. Causes me to realize how far I am from truly "praying without ceasing".
~~~
When I think about it, this is how I hide from evil. Or I don't bother to hide at all.
If you look up the word conceal**, it means to withdraw from observation or to cover and keep from sight. If you look up the word hide**, it means to put oneself in a condition to be safe.
Think on that...
Think of a common sin in your daily life or something that you struggle with. God's word says that we are to be keen enough to see the evil coming and then we are to put ourselves into a condition in which we will be safe from the evil.
My mind wandered further...
I began to think of how God created animals and their ability to hide themselves from danger. So, I went looking for some visual examples.
This is a seahorse that is hidden in some coral.
An owl sitting plainly in sight, yet seemingly sitting in a position to keep herself safe.
This is a red goby hidden amongst coral.
A spider sitting on a sunflower.
A jackrabbit in the weeds.
~~~
"This we had before, ch. 22:3. Note, 1. Evil may be foreseen. Where there is temptation, it is easy to foresee that if we thrust ourselves into it there will be sin, and as easy to foresee that if we venture upon the evil of sin there will follow the evil of punishment; and, commonly, God warns before he wounds, having set watchmen over us,Jer. 6:17. 2. It will be well or ill with us according as we do or do not improve the foresight we have of evil before us: The prudent man, foreseeing the evil, forecasts accordingly, and hides himself, but the simple is either so dull that he does not foresee it or so wilful and slothful that he will take no care to avoid it, and so he passes on securely and is punished. We do well for ourselves when we provide for hereafter." ~~Matthew Henry's Commentary
~~~
So, how then shall I hide myself from evil?
"7Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. 8I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye." ~~Psalm 32:7-8
~~~
"Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word." ~~Psalm 119:114
~~~
"For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock." ~~Psalm 27:5
How shall I hide myself?
In His word...
...and on my knees...
~~~
** 1828 Noah Webster's Dictionary
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
May 27, 2009
Music: Light by David Nevue
May 21, 2009
One of my favorite things...
Addison is two. I love to hear the words that come from my wee children. They speak words in the manner that their tiny ears seem to hear them.
Although there are words that they speak that I correct and help them to pronounce appropriately, there are just a few that I do not correct and I shoo family members away from correcting that small handful of words as well.
The above candy we would call an M & M.
Addison says:
"N - dough - M"
She likes n-dough-m's a great deal....but then again....who doesn't?
;0)
It will only be a few months in her life that we will get to hear her say those sweet words that cause us to silently smile. However, I will be old and grey and still remember a tiny voice saying how much liked "n-dough-m's".
~~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
May 21, 2009
Music: My Favorite Things
May 19, 2009
What will enthrall the beloved?
“Love is doing what will enthrall the beloved with the greatest and longest joy. What will enthrall the beloved this way is the glory of God. Love means doing all we can, at whatever cost to ourselves, to help people be enthralled with the glory of God. When they are, they are satisfied and God is glorified. Therefore loving people and glorifying God are one.” ~~John Piper
~~~~
I read this quote earlier today and have spent a fair amount of time pondering the thought.
It's meaning encompasses far more than I realized the first time I read it through. I began to think of this statement with a more broad "stroke".
John 15:12 - "This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you."
1 Pet 1:22 -
"Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:"
1 John 4:12 - "No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us."
~~~~
I love my husband.
“Love is doing what will enthrall the my husband with the greatest and longest joy. What will enthrall the my husband this way is the glory of God. Love means doing all I can, at whatever cost to myself, to help my husband be enthralled with the glory of God. When he is, my husband will be satisfied and God is glorified. Therefore loving my husband and glorifying God are one.”
~~~~
I love my children.
“Love is doing what will enthrall my children with the greatest and longest joy. What will enthrall my children this way is the glory of God. Love means doing all I can , at whatever cost to me, to help my children be enthralled with the glory of God. When my children are, my children are satisfied and God is glorified. Therefore loving my children and glorifying God are one.
~~~~
I love my family...my father, my mother, my brothers, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, grandparents, in-laws, aunts, uncles, cousins...
Love is doing what will enthrall my family with the greatest and longest joy. What will enthrall my father this way is the glory of God. Love means doing all I can, at whatever cost to myself, to help my mother be enthralled with the glory of God. When my brothers are, they are satisfied and God is glorified. Therefore loving my family and glorifying God are one.
~~~~
I love my church family.
Love is doing what will enthrall my church family with the greatest and longest joy. What will enthrall the men, women & children in my church this way is the glory of God. Love means doing all I can, at whatever cost to myself, to help my brothers & sisters in Christ to be enthralled with the glory of God. When my church family is, they are satisfied and God is glorified. Therefore loving the men, women & children in my church and glorifying God are one.
~~~~
I love my friends.
Love is doing what will enthrall my friends with the greatest and longest joy. What will enthrall my friends this way is the glory of God. Love means doing all I can, at whatever the cost to myself, to help my friends be enthralled by the glory of God. When my friends are, they are satisfied and God is glorified. Therefore, loving my friends and glorifying God are one.
~~~~
Words to think about...
Words to hold up to scripture to find truth...
My own thoughts to ponder.
My own actions to consider.
What exactly am I doing to enthrall my husband, my children, my family, my church and my friends with The Longest and The Greatest Joy?
How are my words and my actions bringing glory to God every moment of every single day?
~~~~
All for His glory...
~~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
May 19, 2009
Music: Stars & Butterflies
April 30, 2009
Good stewards of the manifold of God...
"Do you often feel like parched ground, unable to produce anything worthwhile? I do. When I am in need of refreshment, it isn't easy to think of the needs of others. But I have found that if, instead of praying for my own comfort and satisfaction, I ask the Lord to enable me to give to others, an amazing thing often happens - I find my own needs wonderfully met. Refreshment comes in ways I would never have thought of, both for others, and then, incidentally, for myself."
~~Elisabeth Elliot
~~~~
I Peter 4:10 -- As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold of God.
II John 1:5 -- And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto thee, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
April 30. 2009
Music: Make My Life A Prayer To You
April 01, 2009
..only on Thee..
"Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day." ~~Psalm 25:5
~
posted by Mrs. Klause
April 1, 2009
Music: Be Thou My Vision
March 20, 2009
Learning To Dance
"Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass.
It’s about learning to dance in the rain."
~~
I swiped this quote right off the blog of a wonderful and beautiful woman that I know.
I love this...
...learning to dance in the rain...
Dance...wherever I may be...
He is my Lord.
Ready to lead me.
No matter where I might be.
~~
Thank you for this reminder, Mrs. Spangler.
~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
March 20, 2009
Music: Lord of the Dance
March 13, 2009
Not vainglory but lowliness...
"Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves." ~~Philippians 2:3
~~~
We do not like to admit it. Most of us think quite highly of ourselves.
The bible says that pride is a shameful thing. This world teaches that being proud of who we are and what we can accomplish is a good thing.
This morning as I was stirring the cream into my coffee, I watched as the cream swirled into the coffee and simply disappeared into the coffee. I thought of how easily we swirl into the world.
We are to be set apart.
To love the Lord with all of our hearts and all of our minds and all of our souls sets us apart...it makes us different... It is not the warm and comfortable swirl.
We should be more like oil to water. No matter how much you stir or shake...they don't mix.
When we find goodness within ourselves, when we raise our heads high with quiet pride...
We are comfortably swirling.
~~
Where in my life, on this day, is there stife?
Where in my life, on this day that the Lord has made, is there vainglory?
God, make it clear to me...
...again...
Cause me to know lowliness as Christ knew it.
Change my heart; draw me nearer.
~~~
Everything,
everyday,
every conversation,
every thought,
every moment..
It must all be for His glory.
posted by Mrs. Klause
March 13, 2009
March 09, 2009
March 06, 2009
By God's Design
Proverbs 31:10-31
10Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
11The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
12She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
13She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
14She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
15She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
16She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
17She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
18She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.
19She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.
20She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
21She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
23Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
24She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
25Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
26She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
27She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
28Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
29Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
30Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the LORD, she shall be praised.
31Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
February 24, 2009
Bzzzzz...
Busy as bees around here!
:)
Saturday was Kennedy's fourth birthday and Thursday is Bailey's seventh. We have family and friends arriving to celebrate their lives.
~~~
Tomorrow Nana Klause arrives.
We will have friends over on Thursday.
Pipaw & Amma Simpson arrive on Friday.
Poppa Calvin and Pawpaw & Nana Slider arrive on Saturday.
My brothers and family may join us for the weekend as well.
~~~
I so enjoy having guests in our home.
What a blessing to have the house a rumble with voices, laughter and even the tears...
Children clattering and chattering about...
The kitchen in constant processession with one meal after the next being prepared...
:)
I pray that our home will always be filled with the hustle and bustle and the comings and goings of family and friends.
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
February 24, 2009
Music: Flight of the Bumblebee
February 09, 2009
I am just a sinner.
When I say...
“I am a Christian,” I am not shouting, “I am clean living,”;
I am whispering, “I was lost, now I am found and forgiven.”
When I say…
“I am a Christian,” I do not speak of this with pride.
I am confessing that I stumble and I need Christ to be my guide.
When I say…
“I am a Christian,” I am not trying to be strong.
I am professing that I am weak and I need His strength to carry on.
When I say…
“I am a Christian,” I am not bragging of success.
I am admitting I have failed and I need God to clean up my mess.
When I say...
"I am a Christian," I am not claiming to be perfect.
My flaws are far too visible, my failures every single day.
When I say…
“I am a Christian,” I still feel the sting of pain;
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon the name of Christ.
When I say…
“I am a Christian,” I am not holier than thou, I am just a simple sinner
who received God’s amazing grace.
~~Author & Title Unknown
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
February 9, 2009
February 06, 2009
It is I that must be bent...
"We must quit bending the Word to suit our situation. It is we who must be bent to that Word, our necks that must bow under the yoke."
Elisabeth Elliot
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
February 6, 2009
February 04, 2009
most gladly...
"My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me."
II Corinthians 12:9
~~~
"Most gladly". It comes only from His grace. It comes from His sufficiency. It is not within me to be glad to glory in my infirmities. It is in my weakness that His strength is made perfect.
It is when we realize our insufficiency...
It is when we realize the futility of our own strength...
...
...that His power rests upon us...
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
February 4, 2009
January 23, 2009
There is no shortcut...
Our children are six, three and two. I so deeply desire to obey God's word and to train them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. I fail constantly. Early on, I was guilty of looking to man and his ways. I didn't quite realize what I was doing at the time. After all, I was reading books about child training written by Christian men. I did, however, fail to CONSTANTLY hold up their every sentence and theory to the perfect word of God.
I have realized over the last several months that I have not deeply studied God's word to learn about training up our children. I have read it and I have thought about it and I have prayed about it but I mean digging, hungering, searching... Not scratching the surface but crying out to God to have an understanding of the words that He has given us.
It is God that careful knit together each of our children within our wombs. It is God that knows their hearts and minds far more than I will ever be able to even conceive. As with all of God's ways, there is no prescription or step-by-step method that we can apply to each child.
I think that Father and Mother must take each child to the throne of God and each child must be prayed over and prayed about and God's will for that child must be sought after. I don't mean lightly searched for, I mean hunted and chased after as we would search for food if we were starving...
~~~
"4Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: 5And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: 7And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. 9And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates." ~~Deuteronomy 6:4-9
"Have you ever heard this riddle?
Question: What is the first rule for teaching a parakeet how to talk?
Answer: You must have a larger vocabulary than the parakeet!
The same principle is true of parenting. If you (like Timothy's mother and grandmother {read II Timothy in the Bible}) are going to teach your children God's Word, you must know the Scriptures yourself. There is no escaping it. There is no effective shortcut to studying the Bible yourself. Of course, you can read them stories from the Bible, anecdotes from a daily devotional quarterly, and catechize them from a catechism manual. But as good as these methods are, they are not as effective as communicating biblical truth from your heart directly to theirs with personal insight and application. For you to rely solely on someone else's preparation of God's Word for your children is to neglect the first part of the passage before us (Deuteronomy 6:6). Someone has said that a message prepared in a mind reaches a mind, but a message prepared in a life reaches a life. In other words, the more of God's Word you have internalized for yourself (verse 6) the more effectively you will be able to properly indoctrinate your children in the Scriptures (verses 7-9). Your goal should be to increasingly become like one of the scribes Jesus speaks of in Matthew 13:52, who knows the Scriptures so well that he "brings forth out of his treasure things new and old," -- that is, things he has learned from others and things he has figured out for himself."
~~Teach Them Diligentlyby Lou Priolo, page 12
~~~
Dearest Lord, May I seek your perfect word for each amazing eternal soul that You have blessed me with. May I love You with all my heart, all my mind and all my soul so that my children can see and learn to love you with all of their being. May I refuse all that this world has and chase after only that which is from Your hand. Help me to dwell in Your word. Help me to pray without ceasing. Help me to bind Your law upon my heart. Help me to meditate upon Your word day and night. Help me to take every thought captive so that it might be all for Your glory. Cause me to seek You and Your ways for each of my children, individually. Lord, cause me to see each day moment-by-moment as a clear step, in the lives of my children, as a step either towards Christ or a step with their backs to their Savior. God, no matter the circumstances, no matter how painful, please continue to cut away "the branches" in my own heart that need pruning. Change me; teach me to deny myself; teach me to love You. Amen.
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
January 23, 2009
January 12, 2009
May we enjoy them!
Do you enjoy your children?
Some days it is difficult as there is constant intervention and training of their words, their actions, their attitudes, their decisions, their behaviors, their characters...
Children are a blessing, straight from the hand of our Creator.
I cannot possibly care for my children without the constant seeking of Christ. I am such a selfish and wretched woman that when I attempt (foolishly) to mother them on my own, I fail so miserably. I am so rotten.
It is Christ that daily changes my heart.
It is Christ that daily prunes me. The 'branches' that He cuts away from me are constantly falling. Self-control assists in protecting the heads of my children from the falling branches...but not always.
God help me not only to take joy in my children but to truly enjoy each of my children every single day.
May you clearly, with no doubt, know the presence of Christ on this day that He hath made.
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
January 12, 2009
Music: In Christ Alone
January 05, 2009
Back to normal...
Below is a post that I originally wrote last January. I was rummaging through my blog entries to try to find something else and I came across this post. It made me smile and it made me giggle and it made me (yet again) so grateful for every moment with my children.
And...it made me think of my sweet friend, Mrs. Jakubauskas. You can find their family at First Texas Irregular Regulars (also a link listed in my friends and family list on the right).
I thought I would post this again...perhaps it will bring you a smile and a few giggles as well...
:)
- The familiar clip-clop of lots of tiny little plastic high-heeled shoes is heard throughout the house.
- "I'll be the mommy, you be the sister," has already been spoken at least a half-dozen times in our house this morning.
- "Kennedy! STOP!" She turned the small plastic table upside-down and she is balancing all ten toes on the foot of one leg and her two hands on the bottom of another leg.
- The dog ate my lunch. I'm serious. Apparently he likes cucumber and cream cheese sandwiches.
- The bathroom sink sprayed water all over the front of my dress. It has never sprayed before and I even tried to get it to repeat it's ugliness towards my dress and it refused.
- We have almost emptied the fridge of the remaining lemon and pineapple jello (from the three previous days requiring a clear liquid diet).
- We all gagged on that hideous Ensure-type drink that is supposed to be good for us. Addison has not been eating much since her tummy-sickness so we thought she might drink one. I gave a swig to Kennedy thinking she might drink a bit since she hasn't eaten much in three or so days. Bailey and I tried just because...ugh!
- The kitchen looks like I felt yesterday.
- "Has anyone seen the camera?"
- "What is this stuff smeared on the bathroom door? And who put it here anyway?!"
- I think to myself, "I better set the alarm clock for 4 p.m. if I am going to have this place cleaned up before my dear husband gets home."
~~~
:0) Seems as though we are returning to normal around here. Three little girls ushered me out of the kitchen so they could "get something ready for Mommy" and now "the show" awaits! Have a wonderful day. I know I will...wet dress, hungry, messy kitchen, giggly little girls, piled up on Mommy's lap for a book, banana-schmeared kisses and all! :-D
~~~
"1Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain. 2It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep. 3Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. 4As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth. 5Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate." ~~Psalm 127
posted by Mrs. Klause
Originally posted: January 15, 2008; Re-post: January 5, 2009
Music: On Top of Spaghetti (Couldn't find this one for 2009); Over The Rainbow
December 29, 2008
Love will starve if not fed...
Someone asked me recently what type of books I read. Here is an excerpt from a book that I have been "chewing on" for several weeks. Home-Making by J. R. Miller was originally published in 1882. The title refers to the making of a home, as designed by God. It does not refer to today's definition of the word home-making.
The following is from the first chapter, entitled The Wedded Life.
"On the contrary, there is no place in the world where the amenities of courtesy should be so carefully maintained as in the home. There are no hearts that hunger so for expressions of affection as the hearts of which we are most sure. There is no love that so need its daily bread as the love that is strongest and holiest. There is no place where rudeness or incivility is as unpardonable as inside our own doors and toward our best beloved. The tenderer the love and the truer, the more it craves the thousand little attentions and kindnesses which so satisfy the heart. It is not costly presents at Christmas and on birthdays and anniversaries that are wanted; these are only mockeries if the days between are empty of affectionate expressions. Jewelry and silks and richly bound volumes will never atone for the want of warmth and tenderness. Between husband and wife there should be maintained, without break or pause, the most perfect courtesy, the gentlest attention, the most unselfish amiability, the most affectionateness. Coleridge says: “The happiness of life is made up of minute fractions, the little soon forgotten charities of a kiss or a smile, a kind look, a heartfelt compliment, and the countless infinitesimals of pleasurable thought and genial feeing.” These may seem trifles, and the omission of them may be deemed unworthy of thought; but they are the daily bread of love, and hearts go hungry when they are omitted. It may be only carelessness at first in a busy husband or a weary wife that fails in these small, sweet courtesies, and it may seem a little matter, but in the end the result may be a growing far apart of two lives which might have been forever very happy in each other had their early love but been cherished and nourished.
“For love will starve if it is not fed,
And true hearts pray for their daily bread.”"
~~~
Time is short. I have to ask myself what I am filling my mind and heart with.
~~~
You can read Home-Making free online at www.jr-miller.com or you can purchase the book here.
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
December 29, 2008
Music: Be THou My Vision
December 18, 2008
Humility
Humility is to make a right estimate of one's self.
~~Charles Spurgeon
December 15, 2008
Holiday Bread
Holiday Bread
With this bread recipe, you can have fresh baked bread every day (at least for four days per batch anyway). :0)
Mrs. Klause's Holiday Rolls/Bread
-- no kneading, refrigerator dough --
1 cup warm water (105-115 degrees)
2 pkgs active dry yeast
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon salt
4-4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
----------
Combine the warm water and yeast in a large bowl. Let the mixture stand until the yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes. Stir in butter, sugar, eggs and salt. Beat in flour, 1 cup at a time, until dough is too stiff to mix (some flour may not be needed). Cover and refrigerate 2 hours or up to 4 days. Turn chilled dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into rolls or loaves. Place into greased pans. Cover and let rise until doubled (about 1 hour). Bake at 375. Rolls take about 15-20 minutes...just watch your loaves until they are brown. I call this Holiday Bread because it is the sweet yeast bread (or rolls) that you often eat near Thanksgiving or Christmas.
~~~
originally posted January 16, 2007
today: December 15, 2008
posted by Mrs. Klause
December 12, 2008
All for God's glory...
"Obedience is the irrepressible overflow in life of those who have tasted and seen that the Lord is good."
~~John Piper
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
December 12, 2008
December 03, 2008
Finding sweetness...
Home can only be sweet when the home is firmly set upon Christ.
Home is only sweet when we seek the wisdom of the Lord every day, every moment, every conversation, every breath...
"Every wise woman buildeth her house; but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands." ~Proverbs 14:1
Home can only be sweet when we quit trying to make it what we want it to be and surrender fully to God's will for our home.
Home can only be sweet when we die to ourselves. When we finally realize that it is not about us or for us but all for the glory of the Lord.
Home can only be sweet when we run after the hem of His robe with all that we have.
"And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God." ~Romans 12:2
Home can only be sweet when we fully lay aside and deny our agendas and turn to our husbands and submit to them as unto the Lord.
"Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church; and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing." ~Ephesians 5:22-24
Home can only be sweet when we see that God's hand is in every thing!
Home can only be sweet when we do not ever complain or argue, grumble or murmur.
"Do all things without murmurings and disputings; that ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world; holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain." ~Philippians 2:14-16
Home can only be sweet when we can truly rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS, no matter what the situation.
Home can only be sweet when we focus solely on Christ and do not give in or become consumed by worry or fear.
"Rejoice in the Lord always; and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." ~Philippians 4:4-8
Home can only be sweet when we grab ahold of the first and great commandment.
"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, all thy soul and all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment." ~Matthew 22:37-38
Home can only be sweet when we realize that our goal in raising children is simply to lead them to the foot of the cross.
Home can only be sweet when we spend our days seeking the Lord with our whole heart and teaching our children to seek the Lord with their whole hearts.
Home can only be sweet when we hide God's word in our hearts.
Home can only be sweet when the we speak the word of God to the hearts of our children instead of using our words and man's methods to change the hearts of our children.
Home can only be sweet when we realize that we must live in a state of bankruptcy. When we finally realize that we truly have nothing, of ourselves, to offer to anyone.
Home can only be sweet when we realize that the words of our mouth, the work of our hands and the meditations of our heart are all for His glory, otherwise our words, our work and our thoughts do nothing but feed our selfishness or our pride.
Home can only be sweet when we seek God's word in it's entirety instead of making His word into an application with which we schmear upon our lives like a topical analgesic.
Home can only be sweet when we take every thought captive and pray without ceasing.
Home can only be sweet when Christ is fully, truly, always Lord of our home.
Home can only be sweet when we fall down before Him and realize His holiness.
~~~
May we constantly refuse all that this world has to offer. May we rejoice in being set apart. May we flee from every single thing that does not bring glory to God. May we live our lives not just on our knees in prayer but on our faces before the I Am.
~~~
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
December 3, 2008
Music: Video-We Fall Down
November 27, 2008
I will give thanks unto thee forever.
Psalm 30
1I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.
2O LORD my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast healed me.
3O LORD, thou hast brought up my soul from the grave: thou hast kept me alive, that I should not go down to the pit.
4Sing unto the LORD, O ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness.
5For his anger endureth but a moment; in his favour is life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.
6And in my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.
7LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.
8I cried to thee, O LORD; and unto the LORD I made supplication.
9What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?
10Hear, O LORD, and have mercy upon me: LORD, be thou my helper.
11Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing: thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;
12To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.
November 18, 2008
His hands and His feet...
Every good and every perfect gift comes from the very hand of God...
~~~
Aaron paid for two business trips out of his pocket. He received the reimbursement on the same day that we were notified that we would have to move.
All for God's glory!
The girls and I searched 6.5 hours, 100 miles and looked at 15 houses in a day. We found two good houses. We put money on the first one. I felt just the slightest bit uneasy about that house and continued to pray for God's perfect plan. The owner of the home decided not to rent her home. The second house was still available. We put money on the second house. We signed on the second house and took the first load of things over less than 12 hours later.
All for God's glory!
Friends offered to help and bring their large box-type truck to move the big furniture this coming Saturday.
Two of the mommas from my sewing class offered to help move us instead of sew for the next class.
All for God's glory!
The body of Christ, "my" church, has offered to serve us. Yesterday, two families arrived ready to work. The sewing room, the kitchen, most of all the closets, both bathrooms, most of the back yard items and many other miscellaneous items were not only packed and transported but completely unloaded and put into their proper places in our new home. They brought food for us to eat. They brought trash bags, boxes, paper plates, water and other "moving necessities" just for us.
Dear friends have offered to drive over and take the girls for a day of fun while the big furniture is moved on Saturday.
All for God's glory!
Last night, another family from church offered to come on Friday to help.
Last night, I received email from another momma in the sewing class, she wants to serve us instead of sew.
All for God's glory!
Today, another family from "my" church will be here to serve us. They will provide lunch and dinner for our family tonight.
All for God's glory!
Wednesday, friends will arrive in the afternoon to serve us.
All for God's glory!
All is defined as: the whole amount; the entire quantity; the extent of; as much as possible; every; whatever; nothing but; completely taken up with; given to; entirely consumed...
EVERY SITUATION, EVERY DAY, EVERY CONVERSATION, EVERY ACTION, EVERY SINGLE SOLITARY BREATH ... ALL FOR GOD's GLORY!
ALL FOR HIS PURPOSE!
~~~
Every move before, I've had the blessing of time to put away projects and 'ready' our home for the move. This time, there is little time.
This time, in my weakness, He has been strong. In my weakness, the hands and feet of Christ are serving me.
He is strong when I am weak.
...He provides...
...when I realize my insufficiency...
Every good and perfect gift comes from above.
~~~
James 1
1James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.
2My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations;
3Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.
4But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
5If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
6But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
8A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
9Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted:
10But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
11For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.
12Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.
13Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:
14But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.
15Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
16Do not err, my beloved brethren.
17Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
18Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
19Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
20For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.
21Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.
22But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
26If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
27Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
November 18, 2008
November 07, 2008
I have no excuses.
"...no matter how hard..."
"It is a great deal easier to do that which God gives us to do, no matter how hard it is, than to face the responsibilities of not doing it."
~~ J. R. Miller
~~~
"Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men." Acts 5:29
posted by Mrs. Klause
November 7, 2008
Music: The Valley Song
November 05, 2008
Little Rubies -- Machine Sewing Lessons for Young Ladies
Thursday afternoons are busy in our household!
There are seven young ladies taking a sewing class.
Only two of the seven were able to thread their machines on the first class day. Tomorrow will be our sixth class and all seven girls are sewing wonderfully! They are creating many things with their hands.
Sewing, sewing, sewing...
One of the other mommas in the kitchen with a few of the little ones...
Learning, learning, learning...
Bailey and Mommy.
~~~~
The curriculum is based upon the Word of God.
The girls first learned about patience as they had to wait, without sewing, in our first class so that they were able to learn how to thread their machine and learn about all the pieces and parts.
>> "But thou, o man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." I Timothy 6:11-12 <
They have learned about looking well to the ways of their household, making things that have a purpose and not being idle or frivolous in their projects Last week they all made a lovely new dishrag to be used in their mother's kitchens.
>> "She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eatheth not the bread of idleness." Proverbs 31:27 <
During our class this week they will make something for themselves for the first time...
Pocket Purses!
Perhaps I will post a few photos of the "purses-in-progress" later this week.
:0)
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
November 5, 2008
October 17, 2008
Bring The Rain
I can still smell the Stargazer Lilies...five years later...
"My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing." ~~James 1:2-4
"Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you." ~~Philippians 4:4-9
~~~~
It is not about the here and now...
...it is all about eternity...
...every conversation, every action, every moment of every single day...
May God be glorified always.
May He bring me peace, may He bring me pain, may He bring me anything that brings Him glory...
When it is all for God's glory, will I obey?
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
October 17, 2008
Music: Bring The Rain
September 23, 2008
Busy, busy, busy, busy...as a bee!
Poor old blog. I couldn't even remember what I last posted.
I have been terribly busy in the last few days. I am teaching a sewing class this fall. For the next ten weeks I will have a house full of young ladies (ages 6-13) lined up with their sewing machines busy as little bees themselves.
I am excited about the course. I think that it will be a wonderful time of fellowship and learning.
I have commissed a dear friend, who is an artist, for the drawing that I will place on the cover of the book. Her work is lovely. The idea to ask Miss Hall to draw something occurred to me a bit last minute so we are still fine-tuning the drawing.
I pray for God's will for this little sewing class...for each young lady & momma that will be in our home. I pray that God would be glorified as little fingers work and young minds learn. I pray that the hospitality in our home would be honoring and welcoming to Christ if He were to be physically present with us. I pray that my heart will be humble. I pray that the words of my mouth will be not my own but the the precise wisdom and encouragement that God has for each young lady. I pray that each young lady will use the knowledge and skills that she learns to serve her family and those that are in need. I pray that each young lady will learn the blessing of working long and hard with cheerfulness and all that God might be glorified.
Have a wonderful day! I will try to post a Teacup Tuesday later today.
:0)
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
September 23, 2008
Music: Flight of the Bumble Bee
August 15, 2008
The Sword is Sufficient
The last three mornings have been cool and comfortable.
A Texas August is never cool and comfortable.
I am learning so much lately. I have been chasing after God for a few months now. I want more of Him. I was, long ago, tired of my will and my ways. I fail myself, I fail my husband, I fail my children, I fail my Lord.
"Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;" ~~II Corinthians 3:5
"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." ~~Hebrews 4:12
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." ~~John 1:1
God has been showing me the power of His word. He has been teaching me how sufficient His word is. He has been showing me how insufficient that I am. Do you understand? The little bible with the maroon cover that lays upon the table in my home...God's words. He is sufficient. Sufficient for every problem, every question of the day...
We have a tendency to want to "gulp" down a bit of God's word in the morning or in the evening and then we try to sustain ourselves on that small taste all day long. We find ourselves in a "hamster wheel" just running and running and getting so tired.
We are starving ourselves of Him. How can we rest in His sufficiency when we run all day long and leave Him, our bibles, sitting on the table, touched...opened only briefly each day?
What would happen if we opened God's word morning, noon and night and often in between? What would happen if we put down everything but His word? What would happen if we quit trying to "binge on God's word" and started consuming it? What would happen if we began to nourish ourselves by simply reading His word. No "bible studies", no devotionals, no watered-down forms or versions or outlines...
Just the sufficiency of The Sword...
I think it would be cool and comfortable...
...I think it would be like breathing in the coolness of the last three mornings.
I think it would be like feeling comfortable on an August morning in Texas...
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
August 15, 2008
Music: Big Snow in Salzburg
August 11, 2008
My Crown of Glory!
Birthdays are so different now that I have my own children. It is a wonderful day to celebrate a life...a life breathed into existence by our Heavenly Father!
This is Mr. & Mrs. Hall. Mrs. Hall is an amazing and wonderful woman and a dear friend:
Mrs. Hall and I decided some years back that we were going to grow old God's way. We decided that we were going to refuse the world's way of everlasting youthfulness and embrace the blessing of growing older, whatever that may bring.
We decided that we would celebrate with a tea party once one of us found our first grey hair. I suppose that might just seem a bit silly to some folks but we intend it in all seriousness. My dear friend moved 2000 miles from me about two weeks prior to the evening that I spied my first grey hair. We celebrated via telephone and decided that our tea might have to be postponed until we both had a grey strand to celebrate, thereby giving us time to save some pennies for travel.
A few days ago, I located the second grey strand atop my head. Bailey happened to be standing beside me and questioned my excitement. I laughed and said to Bailey, "My words are not adequate, let me just read it to you." She was fast on my heels as I spun around and headed toward my bible.
Here is what I read to my daughter:
The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness. ~~Proverbs 16:31
I explained to Bailey that hoary means grey. Then I read it again like this: "The grey head is a crown of glory, if it be found in the way of righteousness." 'Bailey, that means that God has started making my crown of glory! My grey hair can be a crown of glory if I walk in righteousness with the Lord! Isn't that exciting? :0)'
Bailey smiled and said, "Mommy I am happy about your grey hairs, too. But what does that mean, 'a crown of glory'?"
I said, "Bailey, I don't know precisely and exactly what that means. I know that as I grow older and as I grey, if my grey hair is found in the way of righteousness, that it is a crown that God is making just for me. I know that it is amazing and humbling to watch God work."
:0)
With the ancient is wisdom; and in length of days understanding. ~~Job 12:12
It never fails. If we look around us, we find that this old world twists every aspect of God's way for our lives. I don't want any part of that. He created us! He knows how many hairs we have upon our heads...it is his hand that begins to "paint" each of those strands grey. How can we possibly choose not to embrace God's perfect design?
There are many years to come before I resemble this lovely woman.
On each August 11th, I choose to be thankful for whatever the Lord brings in my next year of life.
~~~
August 11th is also a day that think of my own mother...as she cared for a newborn infant and began her journey into motherhood. If you are a mother, you know exactly how wonderful your child's birthday is.
Happy Birthing Day Mother! ;0)
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
August 11, 2008
Music: Moonlight Sonata in honor of my Mother & my Grandmother Bettye
August 10, 2008
Wait & Don't Be Weary
26Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
27Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?
28Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
29He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
August 10, 2008
Music: Make My Life A Prayer To You
August 05, 2008
...we hold it in our hands...
"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." ~~Hebrews 4:12
~~~
Do we actually have any idea of what we hold in our feeble hands? Can we actually wrap our sinful and selfish minds around the power of God's Holy Word? His Word is quick. His word is powerful. His word is sharper than any twoedged sword. Do we get that? Do we understand that it is the words written on the pages of our bibles that pierce our souls? Do we gather that it is the Word that is Him?
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." ~~John 1:1
posted by Mrs. Klause
August 5, 2008
Music: Lord of the Dance
July 30, 2008
...face Him...
I've never had a need to sweep the front porch and sidewalk daily...until now. We have a tall crepe myrtle that stretches her flowered branches out over the sidewalk.
Each morning I am honored to open the front door for my husband so that he may leave for work. I respect him greatly for working so hard every single day. His hands are full with a cup of coffee and his lunch as he steps out onto the porch. I kiss him goodbye and sweep the small pink flowers off of the porch as he leaves for the day.
Our neighborhood is quiet. This morning the clouds were thick and white overhead and the sun was tucked behind the low clouds in the eastern sky. A steady and comfortable breeze blew against my face. The birds are busy this morning. They are chittering to one another, hopping along rooftops and flying in swoops and circles.
The clouds overhead as so beautiful. I want to reach out and touch the softness and pull it to me. Then...the wind...the breeze...
I am reminded of how big God is, how powerful. It is His desire that the light wind cool my skin as I stand on the sidewalk. The breeze pushes firmly against me as I turn to face it. The gusts blow and it whips my hair in front of my eyes. Then it slows and I can feel the coolness floating in between my fingers.
The wind seems like the will of God. I cannot control it but I can submit to the mightiness of it, the power of it, the softness of it...
"1The LORD reigneth, he is clothed with majesty; the LORD is clothed with strength, wherewith he hath girded himself: the world also is stablished, that it cannot be moved.
2Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.
3The floods have lifted up, O LORD, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves.
4The LORD on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, yea, than the mighty waves of the sea.
5Thy testimonies are very sure: holiness becometh thine house, O LORD, for ever."
~~Psalm 93
Turn to His face...
Be still...
Feel His presence brush over...
Let Him consume you...
Every day...
Every moment...
...turn to face Him...
~~~
Please, stay and listen for a few moments...
posted by Mrs. Klause
July 30, 2008
Music: Kindness of Strangers
July 24, 2008
Teacup Tuesdays - This is what it is all about.
This is Kennedy in her gown drinking a cup of hot tea before breakfast.
Sleepy eyes and soft padding feet... It is truly one of the best things to see and hear each day. As each child wakes up, she comes to find me and we cuddle and kiss and hug and "love each other" into another day. Oft times we have tea in the morning. It satisfies their hunger so that we can prepare our morning meal together. "Taking tea" could also be said "tying strings". The conversations that take place over a cup of tea are always so wonderful.
Sometimes we have fancy tea parties but most of the time I sit and have tea with my children just as I sit and have tea with friends. We talk of this, that and the other; sometimes the conversation is lighthearted and many times the conversations are heart-changing. This is what the teacup is all about. It makes for a lovely addition and decoration to our home but it is the strings that are tied right through the very handles. It is the strings that weave us together. It is not the tea that is contained within the teacup, it is the relationships that fill the cups and it is the memories that overflow onto the saucers.
Although I so enjoy a cup of tea with a dear friend, the very best cup of tea is taken with my child.
...sometimes we laugh and smile over our tea...
...sometimes we cry...
"9For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; 12Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: 14In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: 15Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." ~~Colossians 1:9-17
~~~
I pray that my children be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
I pray that they might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work. I pray that they would increase in the knowledge of God and be strengthened with all might. All according to the HIS GLORIOUS POWER! I pray that it be all unto patience and longsuffering with joyfulness. I give thanks unto the Father which hath made my children meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light...
~~~
The Lord has been teaching me to pray...not the fumbling words of a sinful and selfish wife and mother...but teaching me to pray the very words breathed by the all-mighty, all-knowing, all-merciful, all-loving, most-holy Creator.
As we sit across the table from our children today, we must listen intently and leave all the busyness of the day aside. Their characters are being formed, the hearts are being changed...
Each conversation...it really is all about eternity.
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
July 24, 2008
Music:
July 22, 2008
Do You Ever Enjoy The Silence?
I wrote this last year but feel it important to share again. The Lord has brought me full circle in the matter of being quiet, particularly in reference to our husbands. 
"Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit." ~ Ecclesiastes 4:6
"The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD." ~ Lamentations 3:25-26
"And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more; And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you; That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing." ~ I Thessalonians 10-12
Over the last year the Lord has been teaching me to be quiet. The Lord will always take our fumblings and self-will and use it to His glory but have you ever stopped to think about what He might do if were to just be quiet for awhile? If we were to serve and love others...particularly our husbands...but cease to constantly excerpt our thoughts and opinions... Are you guilty of speaking defensively to some of your husbands comments? I am. Are you guilty of snipping at your husband when he fails to live up to your expectations? I am. Are you guilty of grumping and nagging your husband? I am. Are you guilty of just being crabby and sour in tone of voice? I am. How about the other side of the coin? Are you guilty of giving suggestions that weigh heavily towards your desires? I am. Are you guilty of jumping on the bandwagon of complaint or gossip? I am.
Silence and quietness is a powerful and tremendous blessing. Without our constant ramblings and regular voice into ALL matters, I wonder what the Creator would do. What exactly would He work together? What precisely would He orchestrate in the heart of your beloved husband without your words. Don't misunderstand me now... Our words can be a great encouragement to our husbands. I am his helper, his lover, his confidant, his best friend. I should be the arms of Christ when my beloved is weary. I should be his greatest warrior, in prayer on your knees daily for my husband. We should always be ready with words of kindness and encouragement for our husbands.
Do you often think you know what is best? I do. I am guessing that there are times when we do know best but it may not always be appropriate for us to make sure that we tell our husbands just how it should be. Have you been in prayer over a particular issue concerning your husband or your children or your family? The Lord has been teaching me that there are great rewards and blessings in silence. Serving, loving and ministering to my beloved husband in silence is an amazing thing! We visit and talk of course but God's word tells us to pray without ceasing and to do all things without complaining or arguing. When we are in constant prayer and when we never complain or argue, the words from our mouth should be laced with sweetness and never spoken without prayer first. "Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones." ~ Proverbs 16:24
Think of all that God has created. Think of the daily miracle of the sunrise and sunset. Think of the intricacy of how God weaves together the lives of our wee babies within us. Think of how awesome and amazing God is. Think of the power and omnipresence of the Lord. Now think of what your marriage might be like if you were always praying and often silent.
"1I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; 2For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 3For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; 4Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 5For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 6Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. 7Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity. 8I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. 9In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; 10But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works. 11Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. 12But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. 13For Adam was first formed, then Eve. 14And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. 15Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety." ~I Timothy 2
It is in my heart to encourage you as a wife. To encourage you to be the woman that God designed you to be. God's design for your life will set you apart from this world. It is right and best for all of us to start our day on our knees. All of the words written above come as a result of my selfish and my sinful nature and as the result of the correction of a loving Heavenly Father. "But exhort one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. ~ Hebrews 3:13" "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: ~ Hebrews 10:24"
Won't you join me?
Being quiet is not always appropriate. Being prayerful is. We must take every thought captive and that is not possible once we have flung that thought out of our mouths. Conversely, taking a thought captive can translate into "taking something back" from the Lord that He intends you to speak to your husband. Ladies, we must be constantly in prayer. The thoughts that are on our heart ... we must take them to the Lord to determine when we should be quiet and when we should speak with tenderness and love. Being quiet can also create a place in which you run from the word of God...a crutch to not speak when the Lord is nudging you to talk to your husband.
Pray, pray, pray... We must pray without ceasing ladies. We must cry out to God and deny ourselves...we must seek His face and not be satisfied with the mere "crumbs" of His obvious existance in our lives. Trust in Him with all of your heart and never, ever lean upon your own understanding.
~~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
Originally posted: June 23, 2007
July 21, 2008
Denying Ourselves by Mrs. Crawford
Mrs. Crawford over at Generation Cedar writes with tremendous passion and intensity. She wrote an article a few days ago that I wanted to share.
Here is an excerpt from Denying Ourselves:
"It's just like Jesus to ask us to do something He knows we can't do! And why? Because that leaves us completely dependent upon HIS strength and grace to walk in obedience. And that's tricky; He requires obedience (my will) to the things He asks of me (His will), but it's an obedience that can only be carried out through the strength He can give me. And what if I don't deny myself? What happens to me, my family, my church, community, neighborhood, world?"
Please take a few minutes and read Mrs. Crawford's article: Denying Ourselves.
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
July 21, 2008
Music: Be Thou My Vision
July 14, 2008
Wife, you just can't do it. Stop trying...
Isn't this a beautiful picture of a man and his wife?
Clinging to one another... Looking through his eyes right down into his heart... Allowing the soft music to carry their steps... The sweet smell of the flowers surrounding them... When they stop dancing, they will peer out into the magnificent blue sky and wonder together... Then they will wander over and see their images, side-by-side, in the reflection of the water...
I just can't be that wife to my husband. I do not have all that he needs.
You do not have all that your husband needs either.
You cannot be the wife that your husband needs.
What is it that you, Wife, have prayed about and determined that you need to do for or with your husband? Words that you need to speak... An attitude that needs adjusted... An action carried out daily...
A conversation that needs to be had.
Socks that simply need to be picked up daily, with a smile on your face.
A friendship that needs to be ended.
An alarm clock that needs to be adhered to.
A tongue that needs to be controlled.
Daily exercise that needs to be done.
Meals that need to be prepared.
~~~~
I don't know what the Lord has laid on your heart or if you have even begun to seek the Lord's will in your daily words and actions toward your husband. Are there things that you feel like you need to do that you just can't? Are there words to be spoken that you just cannot seem to pull from out of the depths of your heart? Are there tasks that you need to do or that your husband has asked you to do that you struggle to complete each day?
~~~~
Our marriages are not about our happiness. Most of us know that already. We have made a commitment to love, honor, cherish and obey for better or worse until the sting of death parts us from our husbands. Marriage is, however, about our holiness. It is about refining us. Our marriages are for the glory of God.
As I sat before the Lord this morning, I realized something.
The Creator told me something this morning. Not in words that were audible but in that "voice" that you can "hear" deep down inside your heart.
"You cannot be all that he needs."
{sigh}
That statement doesn't mean exactly what you think it might mean though...
Sometimes we see things only from our perspective.
Marriage is not about our husband's happiness either.
God uses our marriages to make our husbands more holy.
God uses our marriages and what happens each and every day to refine our husbands.
~~~~
Our lives are so intricate. The Lord weaves us together for His glory. I do believe that it is beyond our ability to understand how God weaves our free will and poor decisions into His plan. I recently shared a very simplified word-picture with a young woman: The way that God weaves our lives all together would be like us trying to knit a tiny little baby's hat when someone keeps changing the color of the yarn and the pattern. It is like trying to knit this hat when someone randomly removes one of your needles from your hand and then gives it back a while later.
God gave us free will. The ability to choose whether we would obey His will or whether we would disobey His will. He "weaves" all things for the good of those who love Him. He "weaves" our lives so that He is glorified no matter what our decisions.
My beloved husband's heart is beyond my ability to understand. The work that God is doing in his heart is beyond my ability to understand. No matter where our husband's are in their lives... No matter who they are....
...loving or unloving...
...gentle or harsh...
...hard-working or lazy...
...sober or drunk...
...self-controlled or selfish...
...saved by Grace or not...
Wife, if you are seeking the will of God in your marriage, then you must obey when He makes clear a particular plan. When the Lord tells us something or shows us something then we must simply obey. We must take not allow our own emotions to control us but we must simply obey the whisper of our Heavenly Father.
Ladies...if you have "heard" the Lord over a particular matter but are failing to carry it out or move forward...you, me...we are grieving the Lord greatly. We are disobeying the Lord. We are exerting our wills over the perfect will of the Lord. We are allowing our emotions to control us. We are thinking that we know better. How arrogant we can be sometimes.
Have you ever or do you ever instruct your children to simply obey and then ask questions later?
:-)
I have.
I think it is that simple for us too.
~~~
Do what you have been told to do Wife.
Almighty God, Creator of the Heaven and Earth, The I Am... He is at work in the hearts of our men. We cannot be all that our men need. We try to fill all the gaps.
There are threads that we do not have. There are stitches that we cannot weave. There are gaps that we cannot fill...
...only Christ can fill the gaps...
...only the work of The Master's hand can create some things...
"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." ~~Matthew 6:33
"2That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; 3In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." ~~Colossians 2:2-3
~~~
posted by Mrs. Klause
July 14, 2008
Music: Canon in D
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